a hunger games tail
by meggylyn379
Summary: Katniss has a secret. But can she get through the hunger games and make sure that her secret remains a secret?
1. Chapter 1: the secret

** authors note**

** hi this is my first fan fiction that i have ever wrote so i hope you like it please review!:)**

**btw i'm sorry that i didn't include much mermaid stuff in the beginning of the story i was planning on adding more of that during the games. if you have any ideas or suggestions please let me know. thanks enjoy!**

** please visit my other story to.:):):) in my opinion it is probably even better than this one it is a cross between gravity falls and h2o:):):)**

When I wake up, the other side of the bed is cold. My fingers stretch out seeking prim's warmth but only finding the rough cover of the mattress. She must have had bad dreams and climbed in with our mother. Of course, she did. This is the day of the reaping.

I get out of bed and see my little sister curled up beside our mother. While my mother is sleeping she looks yunger, still worn but not quite as beaten-down. Prim's face is as fresh as a raindrop, as lovely as the primrose she was names after.

Sitting next to prim is the world's ugliest cat. Mashed in nose, half of an ear missing, eyes the color of rotting squash. Prim named him buttercup insisting that his muddy yellow fur matched the bright flower. he hates me. or distrusts me. Maybe he still remembers that time years ago when I tried to drown him in a bucket of water. That time was long before my secret a time when I could still touch water…

I go put on my hunting boots. Supple leather that has molded to my feet. I pull on my trousers, a shirt and grab my forage bag. On the table I find a perfect little goat cheese wrapped in basil leaves. Prims gift to me on reaping day.i put the cheese in my pocket and go outside.

Our part of district 12, nicknamed the seam, is usually crawling with coal miners but today the streets are completely empty. the reaping isn't until two. You may aswell sleep in if you can.

Our house is at the edge of the seam. I only have to pass a few gates to reach the meadow. Separating the medow from the woods is a electrified fence, that is it is meant to be electrified, but it never is. I flatten out my belly and slide under a loose spot in the fence.

As soon as im in the trees, I retrieve my bow and arrows from a hollow log. My father taught me how to use it before he was blown to bits in a mine explosion.

Although hunting in the woods id illegal a lot of people would risk it if they had weapons. My bow is a rarity, crafted by my father along with a few others hidden somewhere in the woods. My fater could have made good money selling them but if the officials found out he could be publicly of the peacekeepers don't really care because they are as hungry for fresh meat as anybody. In fact, they are among our best costomers. But the idea that someone might be arming the seam would never be allowed.

In the fall a few brave souls sneak into the woods to harvest apples. Always close enough to run back to the safty of district 12 when needed. "district 12. where you can starve to death in safty" I mutter. Then I glance over my shoulder. Even in the woods you worry someone might hear you.

In the woods waits the only person with whom I can be myself. Gale. Gale is also the only person who knows my secret, in fact he found out at the same time as me. It all started about a year ago on a full moon I was in the woods fishing next to the lake it was late at night around midnight but I was determined to catch a fish before I left the woods that day and I came across this weird cave with a pool of water in it. I saw something move in the pool and I thought it might be a fish so I dove in and tried to catch it by hand. But then something magical happened. The water began to shimmer. I got out of the pool and ran home as fast as I could. The next morning I went hunting in the woods with gale and something even more magical happened… it began to rain, and that's not the magical part, the magical part was when the rain hit my skin and I turned into a mermaid!

So ever since that day I cant touch water without growing a tail.


	2. Chapter 2: the reaping

**authors note**

** hi so im really excited about this story so far i think its turning out pretty good! btw sorry that the chapters are kind of short. oh and also if you have any suggestions or ideas please let me know. and please review.:)**

** please visit my other h2o cross with gravity falls its really good so far!:)**

"Hey, catnip," says gale. My real name is katniss, but when I first told him, I had hardly whispered it. so he thought I had said catnip. Catnip has been my nickname ever since.

"Look at what I shot." Gale holds up a loaf of bread with an arrow stuck in it, and I laugh. Its real bakery bread not the loaves we make from our grain rations.

"What did it cost you"?

"Just a squirrel. Think the old man was feeling sentimental this morning" says gale "he even wished me luck."

"Primrose gave us a goat cheese"

His expression brightens at the treat "thank you prim. We will have a real feast." Suddenly his voice changes to the capitol accent as he mimics Effie trinket "I almost forgot! Happy hunger games and May the odds be ever in your favor!"

I watch as gale slices the bread in half. He could be my brother. Strait black hair, olive skin, we even have the same gray eyes. Most of the people who work in the mines resemble one another this way.

That's why my mother and prim look so out of place. They are. My mother ran an apothecary shop in a nicer part of district 12. She was a healer. My father got to know her because he used to sell medicinal herbs to the shop. After my father died she was devastated. She just sat there blank and unreachable while me and primrose turned to skin and bones. I try to forgive her for my father's sake. But to be honest. I'm not the forgiving type.

"We could do it, you know." Gale says quietly

"What?" I ask

Run off. Leave the district, live in the woods. You and I, we could make it," says gale

"What about prim and your brothers and our mothers?"

"They could come to" he answers

"What about my secret. If it rains then I will grow a tail and our families would find out"

"And tell who? The birds?" says gale sarcastically "never mind, forget it" gale says "it was a bad idea anyways" he says again as he catches another fish.

By late morning we have a dozen fish, a bag of greens and a gallon of strawberries.

On the way home we swing by the hob, a black market

When we finish at the market we go to the mayors house to sell half the strawberries. The mayors daughter, Madge opens the door. She is in my year at school. I guess we are sort of in a way friends. We always partner up for activities at school. Although we are friends she does not know my secret.

Today Madge's regular school clothes have been replaced with a reaping day dress and a little circular pin shaped like a bird.

She gives us the money for the strawberries. "good luck Katniss." she says

"You to" I say and the door closes

"See you in the square" I say to Gale

"Bye"

At home my mother and sister are ready to go. A tub of warm water waits for me. I get in the water quickly and wait for my beautiful, long, golden tail to appear. Sure enough in about ten seconds I'm a fish. I scrub off the dirt and sweat from the woods and then wash my hair. To my surprise mother has laid out one of her own lovely dresses for me.

"Are you sure?" I ask

"Of course. Lets put up your hair to." She says. I then let her braid it up on my head.

"You look beautiful." prim says

"And nothing like myself" I say. I hug her because I know that the next few hours will be terrible for her. Her first reaping. She is about as safe as she can get though. Her name is only in there once this year. But she is worried about me. That the unthinkable might happen. I have got to admit I'm pretty nervous as well if I get picked then there could be water in the arena and if there is, then everyone will find out I'm a fish. Also if there happens to be a full moon then I could get moonstruck.

At one o'clock we head for the square. Attendance is mandatory unless you are on deaths door. Today the officials come around to see if this is the case, if not you will be imprisoned.

People sign in silently then finally the mayor takes the stage then reads the same story he reads every year. The story of Panem. A place that rose out of the ashes of a place once called North America. He lists the disasters and wars. It all resulted in Panem, a shining capitol ringed by 13 came the dark days, the uprising of the districts against the capitol. The capitol destroyed district thirteen. After the uprising came the hunger games, a reminder to the districts that the dark days must never be repeated. This is how the hunger games works:

The capitol takes a boy and a girl from each district and throws them in a huge arena to fight to the death. The victor will go home and be rich.

The mayor reads the list of past district 12 victors. only one is still alive, his name is Haymitch. Haymitch staggers onto stage and falls into a chair. He is drunk, very drunk. He gets confused and tries to give Effie trinket a big hug, which she barely manages to, fend off.

Bright and bubbly as ever Effie walks up to the stage and gives her signature "happy huger games and may the odds be ever in your favor"

Its time for the drawing. Effie trinket say as she always does. "ladies first" effie takes a piece of paper from the bowl and reads it loud and clear.

"Primrose Everdeen"


End file.
